China cannot build its own innovative system if it does not
respect the intellectual property rights (IPR) of others, a top
science official said yesterday.
"By protecting IPR, we are respecting knowledge and following
the world's rule of play," Wan Gang, China's newly appointed
minister of science and technology, said at a symposium in
Beijing.
IPR protection was the highlight of the symposium on the
construction of an innovative society. It was co-hosted by
Science and Technology Daily - a newspaper
affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and
Microsoft China Research and Development Group.
Wan also emphasized the possibility of China gaining a
leadership position in the development of biotechnologies, new
materials, and alternative energies.
Echoing the minister, Zhang Yaqin, senior vice-president of
Microsoft and managing director of Microsoft Research Asia, said
IPR protection is needed for the building of an innovative system
in the country.
"Britain was one of the first countries to build a practicable
patent protection system, which is why it became the world's
economic center in the 18th and 19th centuries," he said.
Their remarks come on the heels of a review of China's
innovation system by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development.
"Better protection of patents and other intellectual property"
was outlined by the Paris-based group of 30 developed economies in
a report issued in collaboration with the MOST.
The lack of adequate protection for patents and other
innovations is a serious handicap in the country's innovation
system, the report said.
(China Daily August 29 2007)
